The Original Boisd'Arc Bottom Boys - by Boyd Hudgens

                         Boyd Hudgens and Gary Moreland at KFYN Studio in Bonham Texas, 1976

In 1976 I had recently won first place in the banjo contest at East Texas State University in Commerce Texas after struggling with the four-string banjo for a few years. A friend of my parents, Roy Free, had a five string banjo and brought it to the Bicentennial celebration that was current going on in my hometown of Honey Grove Texas.  It wasn't long after that a friend of mine who had previously lived across the street from me returned to Honey Grove after living in Los Angeles for a few years. 

Gary Moreland happened to find me on the "square" in H.G. one evening and I had my banjo with me in my 1969 Mustang that my parents had given me. Gary noticed my banjo and said that he played guitar. I believe he drove back to his parents home and quickly came back with his guitar.  In the months that followed, Gary and I would play music whenever we got a chance. Here's a few pictures of us playing music...

Christmas Pickin'

Hats

I don't recall how we were able to get a spot on KFYN Radio. I know that we played on the air before and after Christmas that year. My mother recorded the on-air performance and here is a picture of the cassette tape dated Jan, 10, 1976.                                                                                   

Below is a picture of us in the studio. Notice the 12 string guitar Gary is playing!

 

In the picture below we are standing outside of the studio.

Last but not least, when Gary and I returned to the studio for the last time, someone had stolen my Old Craftsman guitar that Roy Free gave me. I had left it there knowing that we would eventually pick it up on our last visit to the studio.

That's my grandfather, John Edelhauser, playing the Old Craftsman at Russell Davis' home in Honey Grove.

The Metal Work of Gary Moreland

My dear friend Gary Moreland has been turning out some interesting items in his shop near Bonham Texas. After working for the Veterans Hospital for many years, he is now retired and has time to do some fun things in life. Gary has played and sung for the Bois d'Arc Bottom since 1976. His father was a great painter and I assume Gary learned a lot from his dad just as I did from mine.

Gary and his family lived across the street from me in Honey Grove Texas in the 1960's and 70's. He moved to Los Angeles for a period of time and eventually came back to Honey Grove just I was graduating from high school. That's when we starting playing music together, banjo and guitar. We eventually met up with some great musicians from Wolfe City and formed the Bois d'Arc Bottom Band.

Back to the story...  Gary is pretty good at coming up with fun projects and I wanted to share a couple of those recent items he created.

The first gift he created and gave to me was this metal creation that looks a lot like Buddy Emmons playing the steel guitar.  But, Gary has a story that goes along with it that reveals the item is actually me playing steel guitar (Big "B" instead of my hero and teacher, Buddy Emmons. Here's the story...

I went out to my shop and this dude was settin’ there pickin’ some mean steel geetar. He said “Hey, can you help me find the Big B?” I said you mean the Big E?” He said no, the Big B!! He said ” The Big B gota lotta Big E in him”. I said, “Heck I been knowin’ that for years. I said “I’ll just take you to him”. He said thanks pard, I’d appreciate that.” So, there ya go. Another adventure in the life of BW and G. Stay tuned for my next blog which will feature the unnamed guitar picker!  Could it actually be Gary?!

Kevin Hudgens - June 8, 1976 to October 6, 2015

On November 15, 1984 I married the love of my life, Debbie. It was only a short time later that I adopted her eight year old son Kevin as my own.

 In junior high Kevin was in band for three years and played percussion. He became very interested in drums. One night I was playing at the Wylie Opry and at the end of the night the drummer made a comment to Kevin that he would sell his complete drum set for $300 because he was moving out of town and didn't want to have to load them up. Kevin came to us and said, "Dad, mom, I have $100. Would you pay the other $200?" We did, and before long he was spending hours and hours in the garage jamming to everything on the radio!

 Kevin began playing for a country band I was part of and played his first paying gig at age 14. He made $50 for playing two hours. That was exciting for a 14 year old. He went on to play other venues with various bands, including Larry Walls and ET Switch, Richard Yazell's Band, Mike Grigsby's Home Town Christmas and Tridens Prairie, Wade White and the Plain Label Band, Robert Joe Vandygriff, J.D. Moss and Ace Duece, Post Oak Savannah, Gary Porterfield, Karl Louis and the Blues Drivers, and the Wade White Acoustic Group. He also sat in with various bands I was a part of. But his dream was to play in a Christian band, and that came true in 2014 when he became part of the Praise and Worship Band at East Paris Baptist Church under the direction of Ryan Clark.

Post Oak Savannah

Karl Louis & The Blues Drivers

Gary Porterfield Band

    

Drummer for East Paris Praise & Worship Band

Husband & Father

Outdoorsman

 

Kevin Hudgens June 6 1976 - October 6, 2015